Lingering
by Effervescent Dreamer
Summary: An undercover recon mission has Pidge and Shiro silently declaring war and seeing who can make the other blush the most. Hopefully feelings will be made known before Pidge conducts an experiment in the possibility of Death by Blush.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: Sadly, I cannot lay any sort of claim to Voltron: Legendary Defender. In another reality, perhaps?

Note: I haven't written anything in years and I mean _years_. I hope I wrote something tolerable.

* * *

Shock.

A deep, near-numbness ran through Pidge Gunderson's body as she fought to remain standing, her hands holding the bar running along the length of the front of the operations deck in an iron grip. Her eyes stared at nothing as her normally astute brain sluggishly processed the words Allura had uttered not twenty seconds ago.

" _Now, as to the reason why I called you two up here separately from the other Paladins," the princess began gently as if she had foreseen her words having a rather…interesting effect on the green paladin. "You two are our recon team and you will be completing your part of the mission undercover. The role you will be playing is that of a newly married couple."_

 _Newly married couple…_

 _Married couple…_

 _Couple…_

 _Pidge… and Shiro…_

Heat exploded at the base of her neck and ran down her spine. The nineteen year old could only hope that her face wasn't glowing as brightly as Rudolph's nose as well because if that wasn't a sign with the intensity of Las Vegas lights that this was both overwhelming and a version of a dream come true for her, then she wasn't sure what was.

Her captain snapped her out of her reverie. "Pidge?" Shiro asked in a gentle, concerned voice. His hand came to rest on her shoulder. "If this is too much for you…if you're not comfortable with—"

"I'm fine!" Pidge interjected, though with her high-pitched tone and shoulders near her ears suggested otherwise. She cleared her throat and forced herself to relax, taking a slow breath and dropping her shoulders. She grinned, light mischief coming into her amber eyes as she added, "I'm peachy. Good with being your fake missus."

Pidge raised an eyebrow, leaning closer to Shiro, drawling, "Are you comfortable with being my fake mister?"

Shiro laughed and nodded. "Yeah, I'm good with it."

The green paladin echoed his nod. "Okay." She looked to Allura, waiting for further instructions from the princess.

Allura smiled at the pair before addressing Pidge directly. "Actually, Pidge, I would like to borrow Shiro here for a moment to go over his part of the backstory." She tilted her head, illustrating her intrigue at the notion as she continued, "according to both Hunk and Lance, there are times in interrogation when the teams brought in for questioning failed to get their stories straight. Now I know I should be going over this with both of you together right now, but" there was a twinkle in Allura's eyes. "I am curious as to how you two will do separately and then we'll piece together the full story afterward."

Both paladins laughed. "Okay," Pidge acquiesced with a nod. "I'll go." She straightened her posture and stretched, then turned toward her mission partner. "Try not to make our story too sappy."

"I make no such promises," Shiro replied with a wink, having no idea of the double time Pidge's heart was sent into when he did such things. She managed to roll her eyes and pulled a face which made Shiro laugh and encouraged herself to make a quick getaway as she wasn't sure if she could handle much more.

* * *

She had planned on going to the kitchen to grab a water pack and scrounge around the fridge in the hopes of finding _something_ leftover from Hunk's display of his fantastic culinary skills from the night before; but that plan was put on pause when she nearly ran into Lance not too far from the door to the Operations Deck.

"Hi Pidgey!" Lance greeted her. "Everything okay in there? Hunk, Keith and I thought you guys were taking too long."

Pidge scoffed lightly. "Lance, it's barely been two dobeshes. Don't worry, everything's fine."

"You sure?" The blue paladin pressed.

"I'm sure."

Lance slipped his hands into his pockets and rocked back on heels in an attempted picture of nonchalance. Much as she loved her teammate like another brother, Pidge knew better. A tick later and she wasn't disappointed. "So, why exactly is Allura having you and Shiro be the Daphne and Fred of our group?"

Pidge jolted in surprise at the archaic reference, heat lighting her face. "Wh-what? Fred and Daph…I don't know, _Scooby-Doo_ , why do you and the others care so much?"

Lance laughed off Pidge's jab. "Just curious, Pidgey," he replied. "You and Shiro are usually the pair who go off together on missions after all."

"You know what they say about cats and curiosity, Lance," the green paladin deadpanned.

"Might want to run that by _Keith_ , actually."

"Oh my stars," Pidge sighed tiredly. "Can I please just get to the kitchen? I really want some water."

"Sure!" Lance agreed cheerily as he fell into step with his friend. "But seriously though, Pidge. Can you talk to me or the others about your part of this recon mission or is it classified?"

Pidge shrugged, running a hand through her short hair carelessly. "I guess so, I mean, it's not like Allura demanded our silence on this," she cut Lance a wry look. "And since I know you won't stop pestering me, at least, until Shiro becomes available, then I guess I can tell you."

Mentally patting herself on the back for not rolling her eyes at her friend's eager expression, Pidge explained, "Shiro and I are to go undercover in order to get close to the magistrate of Alecca; you remember when Coran brought up the rumors that he's going to try something against the royal family, right?"

Lance nodded. "Yeah, and it falls to Keith, Hunk and myself to keep an eye on things in and near the castle just in case this magistrate acts prematurely."

Pidge nodded, "right. How Shiro and I come in is that we're pretending to be a newlywed couple—Allura's idea, not mine—because even though this guy is notorious for his miser-like treatment of the people, he's surprisingly soft…" she trailed off when she finally registered Lance's giggling. "What?"

"I-I-I'm sorry, P-Pidge," he managed to get out. "I-it's just…you and Shiro…pretending to be newly _married_?" He slapped a hand over his mouth to prevent himself from dissolving into further laughter.

She blushed and looked away, shifting slightly on the spot. "Yeah? So?"

Lance managed a sober expression. "Pidge?" His voice was full of true concern. "You know, you don't have to do this if you're not…" he silenced himself when his friend held up a hand.

"Thanks, but I know," Pidge looked at him with a small, soft smile. "Shiro told me the same thing. I said earlier that I'm fine with this mission and I wasn't lying. Now. Why the giggling?"

"Sorry," Lance began with the sheepish tone of a child caught with his hand in the cookie jar. "It's just…a little hard…picturing you as the lovey-dovey type. I'm more used to you being straightforward and concise with your words and actions." His expression turned sly as he winked, "unless we're talking about technology of course."

"Of course," Pidge parroted without mockery. Her friends knew her well after all. "But I don't think that there's anything really to worry about. It's not like Shiro and I need to be disgusting with one another."

"Depends on someone's definition of 'disgusting'," Lance pointed out. "Now do you really think you can act like you're openly romantic with Shiro and not like it's a terrible read aloud from some script?"

"Yes, Lance," Pidge huffed and rolled her eyes. "Pretty certain I can handle it."

"You're absolutely sure?"

Pidge glared at him, not knowing that she was potentially falling into a trap. "If Nikola Tesla can handle sitting in his laboratory with _two_ of his coils on at full power and not even flinch, I think I can act like a wife in love."

Trust Pidge to compare love to science experiments with all the detached observation of a…scientist. Thankfully Lance was too mischievous and stubborn to back down easily. A slow, shit-eating grin plastered itself across Lance's face. "If you wanna keep this charade up, Pidgey-kins, you're gonna need all the practice you can get." He nodded toward Shiro. "I dare you to go over to your 'husband' right now and kiss him."

Inwardly, Pidge was a combination of rage and shoujo schoolgirl embarrassment with a hint glee because someone was _telling_ her to kiss _Shiro_. Now yes, it was merely to show that she knew how to give a worthy performance which would allow her to fulfil her undercover role as part of this mission, but she couldn't help what she was feeling. She was nineteen for quiznak's sake! It's not her fault her body was singing with fiery and passionate hormones that drove her crazy every now and then! Hell, she was totally blaming her hormones for considering giving into Lance's dare instead of merely dismissing the sharp shooter.

Miraculously, Pidge managed to keep her face perfectly schooled into a mask that had some semblance of calm despite her pounding heart. Pidge slowly turned back toward the still open door of the Ops Room (she, Hunk and Coran were all guilty of not getting that glitch handled sooner) where she could see that Shiro was now sitting next to Allura, further strategizing for this upcoming mission. His entire demeanor was serious, focused…though apparently not _too_ focused as his gaze soon flickered in her direction and he spared her a quick wink and a grin. _We've got this_ , he silently told her.

Pidge took a deep, slow breath as she tried to will her heart down from its double time pace. Quiznak, why does he have to be so…so…frustratingly cute? The desire to kiss him was there and it was strong. It was the courage department Pidge was seriously lacking in at the moment however, her pesky hormones insisting otherwise.

Lance decided to give her a proverbial shove as he taunted, "What's the matter, Pidgeykins? Your 'husband' too scary to kiss? Or is it because he's not alone?" Laughter filled the blue paladin's voice. "Want me to call him over?"

Pivoting slowly toward her "friend"; her posture stiff and glasses gleaming, Pidge replied in as lofty a voice as she could muster, "Don't bother Lance, I've got this. Kiss Shiro? Piece of cake."

Summoning whatever dredges of bravado she could, Pidge managed to turn and strut toward her leader and friend as though he were seated at the end of a catwalk. Seating herself near him, but so close as to obstruct his attention from Allura, not just yet, Pidge picked up his prosthetic hand with the gentlest of pressure.

The motion just enough to grab his attention, Shiro turns toward Pidge who locks eyes with him as she slowly and deliberately places a lingering kiss on the back of the hand she delicately held. Shiro's eyes widen, his face flushing a beautiful shade of scarlet as his breath hitches. Pidge swears that she's not merely hearing her own roaring heartbeat. For a moment, it feels as if they are the only two in the galaxy.

Shiro tries saying something, "Pi-Ka-I…uh…" Isn't quite successful.

Pidge smirks against his hand, her own eyes glinting in mirth as Shiro squeaked. She also notes that his eyes fall to half-mast and she nearly lets go of his hand when she catches a flicker of…was that _desire_ in his deep, dark depths?

Oh my stars…

The spell is shattered by Lance's howls of laughter and when Allura leans around the frozen black paladin, her own teasing grin on her face. "My my, Pidge," the princess giggled. "This is quite bold for you."

Finally lowering her mission partner's hand from her lips, Pidge maintains her smirk as she replied, "I was just telling my 'husband' here hello."

"H-h-hi," Shiro managed to choke out, face still sporting that handsome blush.

Her smirk smoothing into a full grin, Pidge gently squeezed his hand. "Hi there." She glances back at Lance who is still cracking up. "You doing okay there, 'Lancey-kins'?"

Lance snorted and gazed at the trio on the couch through half-lidded eyes as he leaned against the wall. "Doing great, Pidgey. Interesting kiss, there…"

Pidge held up a hand to halt any further teasing. "You merely said I had to kiss Shiro, Lance. You never specified on the _lips_." The choked sound Shiro makes from behind her coupled with the sudden slackening of his grip on her hand tells her that probably would've been too much for the young man in any case.

Deigning to be merciful, Allura stepped in; "Alright. Alright, you two. Enough fun at Shiro's expense." Despite her words, the princess's tone still shook with laughter as a grin danced around her lips. "You can save that for later," she winked.

Pidge bit her lip as she gently squeezed Shiro's hand while checking on him. She hoped she hadn't pushed the young man too far. He was still staring at her with wide, unguarded eyes. He kept their gaze locked until he glanced down at her hand clasping his _prosthetic_ , his blush deepening at the realization. At the back of her mind, Pidge couldn't help but wonder if he even felt her lips on his hand or if the blush was a reaction from the visual aspect of the action.

The green paladin also wondered if that flash she had seen in his eyes was truly desire or just some wish of her imagination's.

"Are you okay?" She finally asked him. "Sorry, I probably should've asked you that sooner."

"I'm fine!" Shiro squeaked. Then he winced and cleared his throat. "I'm good. I'm fine." He gave a shaky laugh, still honestly overwhelmed that _Pidge_ out of the blue kissed his hand and for so long and on his _Galra_ crafted hand… "I'm peachy."

Pidge laughed at that, "I'm glad to hear it."

Shiro cocked his head in a show of curiosity, "by the way…why did Lance tell you to kiss me?"

"Oh!" A blush lit Pidge's face and Shiro couldn't help but think once again, just how more adorable it made her. Not that he'd tell her that of course. She'd happily chuck him out of an airlock most likely.

Pidge laughed sheepishly. "Lance…might've questioned on whether or not I could really do my part of this mission…be emotionally invested, y'know?" She glanced away from him. "And I guess you could say I let my ego get the best of me."

Her eyes widened as if something clicked for her, "n-not that I wasn't sincere, I-I just thought that a kiss on the hand was a bit more intimate? And it's less shocking than a sudden kiss on the lips." She hesitated before asking, "do…you think we'll need t-to-to on the lips? In order to be convincing I mean?"

Though a _small_ part of Shiro would have loved to say 'possibly' at the least, his voice was still firm and truthful when he said, "not if it makes you uncomfortable, Pidge. We'll find other ways of selling this."

Pidge smiled at that, "okay." Her smile then turned sly. "Besides, I'd have to say it'd be really out of character for you to suddenly plant one on me with no warning. There better be dinner first."

Shiro spluttered loudly at that, "P-Pidge! Just…just who do you take me for?!"

She laughed, "You are too easy to fluster, Shiro, too easy." The pout on his face made her want to coo, he was adorable and she wondered if he knew it.

Pidge missed his sudden look of a challenge being thrown as he leaned forward and placed a soft kiss on her cheek; lingering, just as she had done when she kissed his hand.

Smirking at the sudden heat he felt beneath his lips, Shiro pulled away and said, "Well, this is out of order, but shall I pick you up at seven?" It took a bit of willpower to not laugh at his friend's sudden squeak.

Once again, Shiro and Pidge were made to remember that they weren't the only occupants in the room. "Well! As charming and entertaining as all of this is," Allura began. "I really do need to work with Pidge on her side of the story, so for now Shiro, off you go."

Shiro chuckled and stood. "Don't make our story too sappy," he teased, mirroring her words from earlier.

Pidge found that she couldn't even look at him, face too red and her heart beating too quickly. She just nodded. As Shiro moved to lead Lance away from the room as well, she mustered enough sass to call out, "going to have dinner under the stars, are we?" Well, she wasn't wrong, they were in space, not due to land at their destination for another day; there weren't exactly many places for a date.

"I thought the hangar was more suitable," he shot back.

A saccharine grin stretched her lips as she leaned back to catch Shiro's eye, hands placed over her heart as she batted her eyes. "You know me so well, a real Prince Charming."

Her words had more of an effect on him than her silly actions did as he nearly tripped, face warming and suddenly his lips were burning with the sensation of having had her skin beneath them. "Yep," he managed to get out, wincing as his voice came out strangled once more. He barely heard Lance's awe as the blue paladin commented on how smooth he had been with Pidge a few ticks ago for Shiro was still trying to concentrate on making a graceful exit.

* * *

Meanwhile as Pidge sat with the Altean princess, she couldn't help but place a hand on the cheek Shiro had kissed. It was a movie cliché move and she knew it, but there was some small part of her that wanted to dash about checking the vents and the pipes, making sure there was nothing that could have caused her to hallucinate that moment.

"You were certainly a lot more open than you thought you'd be," Allura noted brightly. "Are you becoming more comfortable with this mission?"

"Y-yeah…" Comfortable, that was it. She was comfortable with Shiro, finding it suddenly easy to talk and banter with him once she was able to start it. Comfortable with _flirting with Shiro._ She wanted to bury her face in her hands; oh, Quiznak, she had been flirting with Shiro!

And…she suddenly realized, he had been flirting back.

* * *

Sooo...thoughts?


	2. In the Hangar

Lingering

Still don't own Voltron Legendary Defender

Chapter Two: In the Hangar

A clattering of keys busily being typed away was the most prominent sound in the otherwise hushed hangar of the green lion. A comforting darkness enveloped Pidge as she focused on her work in front of her, the light from both her laptop and the soft glow of Green's eyes aiding her sight. Her lips formed voiceless opinions and frustrations as she powered through the security systems on her screen, some of it easier than child's play and some of it that lead her into an annoyingly complicated dance of sorts.

 _Tap tap t-tap tap._

Pidge barely glanced up from her laptop as she called out, "Come in, Shiro."

"Hey, Katie." As always, Shiro's use of her birth name managed to gain her full attention. Looking up, Pidge burst out laughing when she noticed that Shiro was carrying a tray with two plates of food balanced on top. Keying in a few commands on her laptop before setting the device aside, Pidge gave him an amused grin and shook her head. "We're actually having that 'date' in the hangar after all?"

Shiro chuckled. "I guess so, though to be quite honest, I did it more because I knew you wouldn't be in the dining hall due to your dedication to your work." He levelled her with a look, one that she returned without apology. "I swear, Katie, it's almost as if you forget you're human. I know you love robots, but remember, you're not one."

"Yes dear," Pidge sassed with a mock salute before standing and taking a plate from the tray. She looked down and nearly drooled. She was hard pressed not to moan as she said, "Oh thank the stars Hunk was cooking tonight." Shiro's mischievous grin and raised eyebrow had her coughing out a laugh as she looked away, willing the heat away from her face. That very expression was going to do her in one of these days, she just knew it.

She took a breath, before shoveling food in her mouth, hardly paying attention to the taste as she fought off a blush. Stupid Shiro, she internally grumped. He was too cute, too kind…four years her senior (technically three years and eight months) and he was her superior officer. Pidge did her best not to slump at that. Lance was wrong. It wouldn't be difficult at all to act like a wife in love as her earlier display had proven. The difficulty of it all was remembering that it was nothing but an _act_.

She was Pidge Gunderson, Paladin of the Green Lion.

She was also Katie Holt.

Matt's _little_ sister.

This was like an awkward angsty sitcom moment in the making.

Pidge sighed heavily through her nose before taking another bite, this time actually registering one of the spices that had been used. Swallowing before talking only so she could avoid dealing with Shiro in "dad mode" no matter how briefly, Pidge then asked, "hey…is this quartz salt? From Shay?"

Shiro grinned and nodded. "Yeah, Hunk received a small bag of it from her the last time we were visiting the Balmera."

Pidge smiled wistfully. "They really adore each other, don't they? They're always seeking the other out whenever we visit."

"I know Hunk tries to deny it," Shiro added. "But let's face it. They're each other's other half."

The green paladin laughed at that. "Who knew that Hunk would find his soul mate all the way out here in space?"

"Let's not tease him about it just yet."

Pidge smirked. "I make no such promises."

The pair lapsed into a silence, barely remembering to touch their food as they both became lost in thought. Pidge's smirk became a grin that she tried to hide behind her water pouch as she realized just how easy and relaxed it was talking to Shiro, bantering with him. She thought back to her last sentence mere ticks ago and noticed it was the exact same line the two of them had tossed back and forth earlier when teasing each other over their fake romantic history. It had been right before she had instigated a sort of "kiss-off" between the two when trying to prove that she could be mushy and romantic when the situation called for it. Idly, Pidge wondered if she could keep it up. Her eyes flicked up toward Shiro whom was unaware of her gaze as he focused on finishing his dinner; it hadn't been merely interesting to see him blush, it had been the heat and the connection…the spark. _That_ was what Pidge was quickly finding herself becoming addicted to.

' _I wonder if there's a way to recreate it…'_ Pidge sipped at her water as she mused.

Shiro broke the silence, comfortable though it was. "So, any side projects going on?"

"Oh, I've _just_ thought of one, actually," Pidge admitted as she twirled her straw, not looking him in the eyes, not yet. "An experiment, actually."

"Uh-oh," Shiro teased. "Should I be worried?"

"Maybe," she shrugged, feigning nonchalance.

"Gonna tell me what it is?"

Pidge looked him dead in the eye, smirked and said, "The goal is to discover how many times it takes to make Takashi Shirogane blush before he implodes?" She leaned back against Green's paw, self-satisfaction radiating from her whole being as she took in his burning cheeks and wide obsidian eyes, his shoulders inching toward his ears. "That's one."

Shiro only could emit a squeak.

Unable to stop herself, Pidge continued in an as innocent of a voice as she could manage, "what? Lion got your tongue?" She shifted forward, leaning as far into her captain's personal space as she dared. "Oh wait; I'm your pretend wife now, so maybe that should be me."

Shiro buried his scorching face in his hands as he groaned loudly before dissolving into helpless giggles. "Piiiiiidge!" He whined. _Two._

"Well my goodness," Pidge drawled. "It looks like the Champion does have a weakness after all. And look at that folks, he blushes _beautifully_. I don't think even Red looks that good." She had to stifle a giggle herself when she heard Green's amused rumble through their link.

 _Try not to kill the Black Paladin, my little one,_ her lion gently admonished.

 _Only for you, Green._

Shiro managed to compose himself enough to lift his head from his hands and glare sternly at her. A somewhat failed attempt due to the strong blush still painted across his face. "It should be illegal for you to be _this_ much of a flirt."

"Whatcha gonna do to me?" She whispered, ochre eyes glinting.

Ooh, apparently Shiro meant to play as well for he now leaned into her space, getting dangerously close to her lips as he lowered his voice to a whisper as well, the heat between them coming back in full force. "First, I'm going to forbid you and Lance from being friends."

The heat faded slightly as Pidge fell back, bursting into laughter. "Well, excuse me, Shiro, but I think I've proven that I know how to flirt on my own _without_ Lance's influence."

The Black Paladin let out a gusty sigh at that as he hoped his face was beginning to cool down. "That you do, Pidge. That you do." He raked a hand through his hair and looked at her sidelong. "I'm beginning to think that it wasn't boys Matt needed to ever keep away from you, it was _you_ that Matt probably needed to keep away from boys."

Pidge let out a snort. "Hardly. I was barely interested in anyone before leaving Earth." Her eyes widened as her mind ran through that previous sentence and she shifted slightly in embarrassment as she realized the implication in her words.

Apparently Shiro did too, as he felt his face begin to heat once more. Geez, at this rate Pidge's "experiment" was going to work. He tried composing himself, but his voice was still rather squeaky, much to his consternation. "O-oh? That means you're crushing on someone? Here? In space?"

Pidge took a breath before replying with a small smirk, "that's for me to know and for you to get annoyed over."

Her crush feigned being upset; placing a fist over his heart, closing his eyes and lowering his head before shaking it. "Devastating," he told her in a theatric, heartbroken tone. "You won't even confide in your teammate. One of your best friends…" he gave a pathetic sniffle.

Pidge slowly clapped; okay, if Shiro kept up this sort of silliness, maybe the mission would be survivable after all. "Brava," she returned in a voice dripping with sarcasm. "You really had me going there. It almost made me want to give you a hug."

"I could do with a hug," Shiro told her seriously.

Well damn, he was giving her permission. It was nearly impossible to resist that.

"Okay," Pidge replied, shifting forward and wrapping her arms around her friend. Hugging Shiro was surprisingly easy and didn't make her heart skip several beats unlike making him blush did.

Then he reciprocated the hug.

Oh. She was wrong. She was very, _very_ wrong. Apparently she had made the mistake of forgetting just how muscular the man was because this wasn't their first hug and he had in fact, carried her before. The curse of being so quiznaking short. Or was it a perk?

The way his arms curved about her, nearly ensconcing her entire petite frame, making her feel safe, reassured and dare she think it, loved. Well, sure, they did love one another; they were best friends after all. Yet Pidge couldn't help but entertain thoughts of the other type of love, the one that brought about an intimate heat in the air between the two of them and sparks dancing across her skin whenever his hand brushed her arm…his soft lips on her cheek.

Though having his head tucked into the crook of her neck and his warm breath dancing across her collarbone wasn't exactly doing wonders for her heart rate.

Squeezing him tighter for two ticks more, Pidge then began to pull away. "Um," she began, her thoughts still frazzled from their embrace. "I uh, should probably apologize for earlier. I didn't mean to make you so uncomfortable."

Shiro chuckled. "It's okay, Katie. Sure, I'll admit, you did fluster me…" his smile grew teasing as he arched an eyebrow. "But wasn't that the point of your 'experiment'? To see how often it took to make me blush before I imploded? Interesting word choice there, by the way."

Pidge ducked her head as she felt heat begin to caress her own face. She laughed awkwardly, "Yeah, but let's be honest, I got rather carried away there." She traded her embarrassment for amused accusation as she lightly glared at him. "Though, I see you've got your own experiment going there, Shirogane."

Shiro shrugged, a bit unapologetic as he replied softly, "turnabout's fair play Miss Holt." He daring reached out and brushed a hand against her cheek. "You do manage to sport a very fetching shade of red."

She looked up at him, taking in the look of genuine tenderness and desire in his liquid charcoal eyes, the tuft of white falling into them giving him a sort of vulnerability. His smile was as gentle as the thumb that was caressing her jawline.

Stars, she wanted to kiss him.

Unconsciously she started to lean forward; hardly aware of what she was doing until Shiro suddenly seemed much closer. A full blush shot through her and she very nearly pulled away in order to start babbling apologies when it clicked that he had begun to lean in as well.

Tilting her head slowly toward the right, eyes closing, her lips were barely a breath away from his when Allura's voice came blaring through the hangar.

"Shiro and Pidge to the deck! I repeat, Shiro and Pidge to the deck!"

Leaping away as the princess's voice ripped through the silence, both Paladins fought to settle their heartbeats as blushes began to fade. After a long moment, Pidge finally managed to squeak, "So! Shall we?" She gestured hastily before her.

Shiro chuckled and nodded, easily falling into step with Pidge. _That had been a heavy moment,_ he thought. Then winced. _This experiment of hers probably_ will _make me implode._ He glanced at her out of the corner of his eye. _Though it looks like I won't be the only one who will be reduced to a flustered mess._

"Wait." She paused in her walking as a question dawned in her eyes. "Are we going by our real names here or pseudonyms?"

Shiro thought for a tick before replying a little awkwardly, "I'd always assumed it'd be our real names. They're alien enough, face it, we _look_ alien enough to other planets, I don't think fake names are necessary." His expression became teasing. "Though we are sneaking into a government facility of sorts, so I guess fake names are something to consider."

Pidge scowled as she crossed her arms over her chest. "You know why I had to go by another name, Shiro."

He softened, "I know."

Letting the issue go and returning to the previous one, she shrugged and said, "Guess I can go by Katie for this one."

"Really?"

"Katie Shirogane seems to flow a bit better than Pidge Shirogane," she reasoned, not noticing Shiro's eyes widen as she attached his last name to her first. She grinned and glanced up at him. "Although, you could be Takashi Gunderson. Nah, Takashi Holt does sound a bit cuter."

Last names. It was going to be the talk of their last names as if they were truly getting married that was going to do him in if his pounding heart was anything to go by. "Wh-what about hyphenating?"

Pidge made a face, "Too long."

Well, she wasn't wrong about that.

The rest of the walk to the bridge was silent but neither Paladin minded as they took the time to gather their thoughts and slow down their heartbeats. Things had gotten rather…heady in the hangar and truth be told, Pidge would have rather blamed the Balmeran quartz salt, but she knew otherwise. That had been all her. She took a shaky breath as she realized that had been all Shiro too. Maybe her feelings weren't unrequited after all. _Or_ , her accursed logical side began to point out; maybe Shiro had simply been caught up in the game they were going to play for the upcoming mission.

This was going to be messy.

Pidge just hoped the both of them came out of it unscathed.

* * *

Allura was waiting for the pair of them on the bridge, hands clasped behind her back, a gentle smile gracing her face. "We shall be planet-side in roughly five of your Earth hours," she informed them.

"Well, that's good," Pidge replied, brightening a little compared to her earlier disposition.

"Guess we should head to bed then," Shiro added as he and Pidge started to turn away. "Get _some_ sleep."

"Just a tick!" Allura interjected. The pair paused, then turned back to look at the Altean royal.

"Something the matter, Princess?" Shiro asked.

"Earlier we had discussed your backstory as a couple individually," Allura's smile grew mischievous as she continued. "I believe it is time we see how well those two tales line up."

Both Pidge and Shiro flinched, their eyes going wide as they both began to blush. They were supposed to discuss their fake _love_ stories? Now? The soon-to-be false husband and wife glanced at one another as they shared one thought.

 _Oh hell…_

* * *

Hmm…a little bit shorter than the last chapter, but I felt this was a good place to stop, I didn't want to get too ramble-y. The next chapter will have their fake backstories. Hopefully I can make them line up a little. And I promise to involve more of Voltron. That's a bad habit of mine, focusing on only two or three characters at a time and putting everyone else on "pause" so to speak. I hope to get better at that soon!

And for those who want to kill me for ending the moment in the hangar the way I did…well, then you won't get chapter three then, will you?

I hope to post again soon!


	3. A Matter of Perspective

Lingering

Chapter 3: He said, She said A matter of perspective

In which Pidge lives up to being the Daring Paladin while simultaneously calling out the author for being an overeager idiot without breaking the fourth wall. Still don't own Voltron: Legendary Defender, by the way.

* * *

Shiro and Pidge looked at one another, doing their utmost not to grimace. Talk about imaginary romantic situations? Love lives? With each other? _In front of one another?_ Both Paladins wondered if Allura was secretly trying to kill them by flustering them too much. Clearing his throat while running a hand through his hair, Shiro smiled a little too brightly and gestured to Pidge. "Ladies first."

Her smile in return was a little too cloying for Shiro's comfort. "Oh no no, age before beauty."

Resisting the impulse to stick his tongue out at her, the Black Paladin settled for merely looking unimpressed as he said, "Fine, I'll go first." He took a breath, trying to figure out how to start his story. "Well, we are Paladins…and we are in the midst of war, so realistically proposing to Pidge would probably go…"

" _You._ **ASSHOLE!** " _Pidge shrieked. "What were you_ **thinking?** " _She slapped his shoulder. Hard. "You_ **weren't** _thinking, that's what_ **I'm** _thinking. You could have_ **died** _out there, you qui—mmph!" Her eyes went wide as Shiro dragged her into his arms and captured her lips for a deep kiss. Hardly one to be placated by an act of romance, Pidge squirmed in his embrace before letting it click that hey, he was here, he was alive and she could easily give him hell later. She closed her eyes and returned the kiss, wrapping her arms around his neck and letting the tension slowly leak from her petite form._

 _They kissed once, twice, a third time before finally, albeit reluctantly, pulling away. Shiro kept his eyes closed as he rested his forehead against Pidge's. "Katie…" he breathed. Her own breath caressed his swollen lips and it took as much strength as he could muster to not kiss her again. He had to get this out. "Marry me."_

" _What?"_

 _He opened his eyes to stare at her honeyed amber eyes which were wide with surprise and a bit of hope that she didn't hear him wrong. Despite her reply, Shiro found it easy to repeat his earlier words. "Marry me."_

 _If Shiro were quite honest with himself, he could say that he wasn't expecting the flurry of giggles that tumbled from her lips. Nor was he expecting the laughter to have some sort of wrongness, an echo to it that signified that none of this was real._

Oh.

Right. None of this in fact was real; it was all part of his fantasy…his version of their love story. Blinking hard several times, Shiro managed to bring himself back to reality and looked over to the real Pidge who indeed was in a fit of giggles and seemed to be hard pressed to not fall off the couch.

"You…you _would_ propose on a battlefield," she wheezed, holding her stomach. It took her a couple of deep breaths to settle herself before returning Shiro's stare, her own eyes bright and glittering with mirth as she leaned against the armrest, propping up her chin with her fist as she attempted a coy smile. "Though, maybe that's more of a 'Keith' move, than a 'you' move, Shiro."

Shiro snorted. "Maybe. Or maybe we'll witness the sappiest, frilliest proposal out of him." In all honesty, Keith was probably at the top of the five of them when it came to being the most unpredictable. So Shiro's snark wasn't entirely off base. "Your turn, Pidge."

Pidge sighed and looked away, wanting to stall such a story for as long as possible, but knew that both Shiro and Allura wouldn't be happy with that. She exhaled another gusty sigh and began to weave her love-tinged tale.

"It's pretty simple actually. I'm a girl who prefers few superfluities and I think that'd go for my proposal too. Also, this is the twenty-second century, who's to say that anyone male has to be the one who has to ask 'the Big Question'?"

 _Pidge was curled into the corner of the couch in the Ops room, Shiro pressed against her. The sound of her keyboard clicking filled the air as her fingers flew across the keys. Neither one said a word as often was these days. They didn't_ _ **need**_ _to say anything. The two just got one another. They clicked. The balm to each other's blistered souls, the missing puzzle piece, and all that mushy stuff._

 _It left Pidge feeling warm, at peace and complete. She also knew it was time to say what she'd be wanting to say for weeks now._

" _Marry me." Shiro looked up from his data pad with a startled expression. Silence rang through the room as he processed Pidge's words. "What?"_

 _Her smile was gentle, soft and only graced her face when it was meant for him. "Marry me," she repeated._

 _Apparently her significant other still wasn't quite getting her message for Shiro merely blinked at her, his lips trembling with a smile that was both beautiful and oh so vulnerable. She cupped his face with one hand and leaned up, placing a soft, sweet kiss on his lips; one he happily returned. When she pulled away, Pidge repeated herself a second time. "I'm serious, Takashi, marry me." Her smile grew teasing, "do I have to get down on one knee? We're already sitting down; I didn't think I'd have to go for the more traditional pose here."_

 _Shiro chuckled and took her hand, lacing their fingers together. A lopsided, dopey smile curved his lips. He kissed her hand and beamed, "yes, Katie. I will marry you."_

"Insert wedding details here and scene," Pidge concluded. She smiled sheepishly and rubbed the back of her neck. "Sorry, the proposal bit was honestly hard enough," she admitted. "I can flesh out fake wedding details soon though. All I know is, I wouldn't want too many frills and not a lot of fuss and ceremony."

"You know, Pidge," Allura began with a teasing smile. "Were you and Shiro to actually marry as Paladins of Voltron, there'd actually be a lot of 'fuss and ceremony' expected. I suspect it'd be treated as an intergalactic event." The princess then winced, for despite her kind and light tone of something _hypothetical_ , Pidge lost all color in her face.

The Green Paladin then looked over at Shiro, staring him dead in the eye as she deadpanned, "we're eloping."

Shiro pressed a fist to his mouth and coughed away a laugh. "Yes dear," he replied lightly, his flint eyes glittering with mirth.

Allura did her best not to snort. "Trust you, Pidge to find a way out and cause something of an intergalactic _scandal_ ," the princess pretended to chide her friend whose did not display one iota of regret, rather, the smaller young woman seemed rather smug in the whole game of pretend.

Honeyed amber eyes blinked and then widened with realization. "Hey…wait a moment," Pidge began. She swung her surprised expression between Shiro and Allura. "Did…did we actually discuss what our married couple is supposed to do for a living? We're supposed to be _undercover_ Paladins, so what are our fake jobs? I don't think either Shiro or I mentioned it. Really, our stories held elements of what we do as Paladins, not something else."

Oh…Quiznak. Pidge was right, Shiro realized with slight dismay. Both of their stories were more or less indeed based on their lives as Paladins. He wondered if they could get away with being some sort of intergalactic soldiers…probably not, he then concluded as the whole point of the mission was to see if not only was this magistrate a threat to the royal family of his own planet, but if he held any loyalty to the Galra. Shiro highly doubted that if the magistrate was indeed loyal to the Galra that he'd let Pidge and himself walk about freely on Alecca for very long. He sighed as he tried to think of a solution to this speedbump in their plans.

Luckily Pidge came to their rescue. "Could we be diplomats?" she suggested slowly, unsure if this was a good enough solution.

Her friends were silent for a moment, before Allura nodded, smiling encouragingly. "I think that'll wonderfully for a cover, Pidge. It'll look good to have diplomats looking to create positive interplanetary political ties…it's official enough for a story that gives you no connection to Voltron…though, you'll have to remain vague with your intentions in the beginning. You two are supposed to be on your honeymoon, remember."

Shiro shrugged, "we're hard-working despite being madly in love." Pidge almost choked at how casually he was able to say such a thing.

"Yep," she squeaked.

Allura smiled warmly at the pair, doing her best to not even let a giggle slip at Pidge's expense as she took in the poor Paladin's overwhelmed expression. She clapped her hands once, calling everything back to order. "Well, it seems that we have everything set for the moment. I shall let you two retire for the remainder of the sleep cycle, though Pidge, I shall require your presence in about four vargas."

"Okay, Allura," Pidge agreed as she stood and stretched, not noticing Shiro immediately avert his gaze, nor did she take note of the faint blush staining his cheeks. He composed himself swiftly as Pidge turned to look at him, "you coming, 'husband'?" She asked, arching an eyebrow and tilting her head toward the door.

He laughed and stood at her side, "yeah, let's go to bed, 'wife'." Immediately his brain caught up with his mouth and he flushed violently as Pidge burst into laughter that bordered on cackling, Allura's own giggles not helping by any means. "I-I-I mean…" his arms flailed helplessly as he tried to rectify the moment.

"Shiro," Pidge wheezed as she held onto her sides. "Don't worry man, I _totally_ understood what you meant…let's just…" she caught her breath. "Let's just go…"

Shiro hung his head in mortified defeat. "Yes, dear…" Taking pity on him, Pidge merely smiled and patted him on the shoulder before leading the way out of the operations deck. She winked at Allura who nearly doubled over laughing again as she waved at the exiting pair.

The two walked back toward their rooms in silence, both of their minds on the upcoming mission. Pidge was contemplating on just how to act more like a diplomat of peace, one whom would be expected to exude a certain amount of decorum rather than the fiery brashness she tended to display when Shiro spoke.

"I liked your story," Shiro commented. "It was very sweet; just proposing while we're quietly working. Although…" he trailed off, deliberately building up the silence, a slow impish grin crawling across his face.

Pidge gave in, raising an eyebrow and prompting, "Although…?"

"It was honestly a bit tame for a story coming from you, Pidge," Shiro shrugged, feigning innocence. "Yours tend to have a bit more of a… _bite_ to them, if you will."

She smirked, walking closer to him, watching with lidded eyes as she leaned as close as she dared, skating a hand up his chest and drawled, "Would it make you feel better if I tell others I proposed to you in _bed?_ "

It was like she had stolen all of the air from him as his face blazed scarlet anew. "Katie!" Shiro squeaked. "Wh-when did you get to be so daring?"

Pidge snorted, "I dunno if you remember this or not Takashi, but I am the Green Paladin of Intellect and _Daring_."

"True," he conceded. "But…not this daring and certainly not this bold. Whatever happened to the sweeter part of you?"

Pidge's smile faded. "She went away when the Galra took you, Matt and my dad while the Garrison basically did nothing about it," she said. "A salt pillar got left in her place."

Shiro stepped forward and wrapped his arms around Pidge in a comforting embrace that she gladly sank into. "Nah, she's not gone, not really," he said. "I think she's just hiding a bit behind that salt pillar. Maybe you're still angry and hurt over what happened four years ago, but I think you're more like Katie than you realize."

Pidge huffed and pressed her face into Shiro's chest for a moment before talking again, her words slightly muffled by her lips being so close to his uniform top. "Hey…Shiro? Do you remember how earlier you told me to tell you if I thought this mission was too much for me?"

"I remember," Shiro replied. "Do you want to back out? Is it getting to be too much for you?"

"No," Pidge answered honestly. "But, don't think that that offer doesn't apply to you as well. Tell me if it's too much for you. If _I'm_ too much for you. You won't hurt my feelings if you say yes, I promise."

He chuckled and rested his head atop of hers. "I won't lie, Pidge; your words fluster me more than I'd like and I'm blushing more than I care for, but…this is actually kind of fun. I like seeing you acting fiery and challenging, it adds this spark that gives a little more heart and color to my life. I should probably be thanking you, Katie and really, I can't imagine going on this mission with anyone else except for you."

Pidge smirked, "sure about that Shiro? There's more to married life than just being sassy with the spouse. What if I can't keep up with that?"

Another laugh came from Shiro, causing Pidge to blush as she felt it reverberate through his well-toned chest. "Remember, Pidge," he pretended to chide. "I've never been married myself, so I'm in the same boat as you. But, if I remember what my parents have told me, it's that marriage is a partnership and you and I do work pretty well together as both part of a team and when we're working alone."

"Good point," Pidge replied as she let out a yawn. "Mmkay, nap time, I guess." With some reluctance she pulled away from Shiro's warmth, trying not to let it show as she shivered and ached to return to his arms.

Shiro smiled warmly as he stepped forward and placed a gentle kiss on her forehead, holding it for perhaps a beat or two longer than necessary. "Go rest Katie," he told her. "I'll see you soon."

"See ya, Shiro," Pidge said, her words slightly garbled as she gave another yawn. She waved, though it was more a flop of her arm before turning around and heading toward her room, her skin tingling from where Shiro's soft lips had just been. When she was certain she was out of earshot, Pidge sighed, her small smile falling as her heart sank like a stone.

Shiro's words of reassurance became empty platitudes as her insecurities flared up and wrapped around her like a cloak of despair while reality came crashing heavily down onto her shoulders. Oh who was she kidding? Sure they flirted and sure there were those random kisses, but this was all gearing up for a _mission_. This was platonic, it had to be. He'd only ever see her as a teammate. As a friend. After all, she was nineteen and he was twenty-four.

For some people, five years was simply too late.

* * *

After a few vargas of restless sleep, a bleary eyed and slightly miserable Pidge stood in front of Allura's room, doing her best to smother a large yawn before knocking on the metal door. The door slid open and Allura's look of welcome quickly became one of worry as she took in Pidge's weak smile and tired eyes.

"Pidge!" she exclaimed as she ushered in the younger woman. "Are you alright? Did you not sleep well?"

"Eh," Pidge shrugged as she tried to dredge up a facsimile of her usual personality. "That's not something I'm not used to." She stretched as she asked, "So, what did you need me for before Shiro and I leave for our part of the mission?"

Allura frowned slightly, mentally telling herself to not let Pidge brush off what was clearly misery on her face. She then spoke, "we must discuss your wardrobe," she held up a hand to stall her friend from even groaning. "I know you've mentioned wearing dresses in the past and how you do not find them suitable for battle, but I believe the garments I have selected will have you thinking otherwise."

Pidge raised an eyebrow, "you have my attention."

Laughing, Allura turned toward her closet, beckoning Pidge over. With her own clothes pushed aside, the princess gestured toward at least ten outfits including four dresses, all of them were varying colors however they were more so leaning toward the green, blue and purple color schemes. She plucked the first dress off the rail and held it out for Pidge to see. It was an ankle-length white off the shoulder dress with green and gold accents, with sleeves tapering off to points where her hands would be. The torso was of a thick green material that would wrap around her chest. The touch of it was so smooth and firm, Pidge wasn't entirely sure if it was meant to be some sort of armor or not. Gold flowers embellished the bodice. The skirt was two layers, white with a thinner yet not sheer layer of green that was held together by a thick gold belt. Allura lifted the top layer to show that the belt was not merely an accessory piece by a _holster_.

She smirked when she saw Pidge's eyes light up with intrigue. "As you can see, this belt will not only provide you with easy access to your bayard, but this knife…" she held up the aforementioned weapon. "That Keith insisted was necessary."

Pidge had been gingerly toying with the material of the outfit when she heard Allura's words. She looked at her friend, brow raised. "And you agreed?"

Allura's expression grew serious. "Pidge, we honestly don't have too many details on the magistrate of Alecca. The only reason why Voltron is getting involved because we've received distress calls from not only the royal family itself, but from the magistrate's family. Ever since his wife passed, he had been acting most strange…darker, was the most common description. Yet he gave no open signs of any evil. However, he has been getting in more and more arguments with King Myzor as of late and spies have reported the magistrate slipping away to secret meetings, returning to the public eye hours later with a sort of…frenetic manner about him."

Pidge frowned. "Do you think he's planning an assassination? A siege?" Her eyes became sad. "Is that what happened to his wife? Was she assassinated and he holds the royal family responsible?"

Allura was troubled. "No one is entirely sure, but there have been whispers from the magistrate's offices of sympathy and potential allegiance to the Galra."

Pidge's stomach turned at that. Voltron needed more allies, not more enemies, and an emotional, grieving enemy could become a very dangerous enemy. She exhaled shakily and moved to sit at Allura's vanity, the princess following, for she knew what Pidge was up to. Allura accepted the brush from the sole female Paladin and began brushing her hair.

It was a new ritual for the pair, a bonding experience as Pidge recently began allowing Allura to brush and style her growing hair simply as Pidge herself began to accept that it was okay to look like Katie again; she no longer needed to rely on appearing as Matt as a front for being Pidge. As for Allura, this helped her grow closer to Pidge and helped lessen the gnawing ache she sometimes felt at the lack of a sibling presence; the two girls didn't have to be comrades in the war all of the time, they could be friends and it was a symbol of Pidge allowing Allura into her "space family".

There was something about the rhythmic brushing of Pidge's hair that managed to soothe both Pidge and Allura. The latter began twining two braids on either side of Pidge's hair before speaking. "We do have an advantage here. As I've stated earlier, the magistrate has a soft spot for newlywed couples, possibly due to the memories of the early days of his own marriage. I am a little sorry we have to exploit that, but it is our only means of getting close to him."

Despite the plan honestly leaving her cold and a little sick, Pidge understood. War was when all stops were pulled and sometimes even the most virtuous and noble people had to stoop to dirty means. She just had to look at this stoically, as a military tactic, no matter how much she didn't like it. She lifted her gaze to the mirror before her and silently admired the way Allura was styling her hair, trying to bear the weight of the mission. After all, this was undercover recon. Perhaps it wasn't as bad as it seemed.

Perhaps it was.

Pidge took a breath before smiling gratefully at Allura whom had just finished Pidge's hair. A braid on either side of her head dipping just below her temples before being pulled back into a singular small ponytail while the rest of her ginger waves fell freely atop of her shoulders. "Thanks, Allura," Pidge told her friend. "This is cute."

Allura returned the smile with a beam of her own. "You're welcome! I'll leave you to change clothes while I head to the deck. We should be on Alecca within the varga."

Pidge nodded, "Sounds good." As soon as the princess left, she turned to face Allura's closet. After a moment's contemplation she reached for an outfit that was shades of blue accented with silver—she didn't wear green _all_ of the time, thank you. What was she? A Power Ranger? The only difference with this outfit compared to the previous one other than color selection was that she wore pants instead of a skirt and the top's sleeves were in a bell cut rather than tapered. Nodding in satisfaction, she began to change.

Upon reaching the deck several doboshes later, Pidge found herself pretending that her heart hadn't sped up as she noticed Shiro whom was clad in an outfit of navy blue rather than the lighter shades like she wore, actually do a double-take upon her arrival, interrupting his conversation with Lance and Keith in the process. He definitely wasn't blushing because of her either, she told herself. Their borrowed clothing was heavier than what humans were used to for warm weather.

"Wow Pidge…you clean up really nice," Shiro told her sincerely.

She grinned up at him, "Thanks."

"Aw…look at you two," Lance cooed. "Being all matchy-matchy. You've totally got this married couple thing down."

Shiro rolled his eyes. "Lance, I'm fairly sure that this is merely a coincidence. Pidge and I didn't discuss clothing choices while briefing for this mission."

"We didn't," Pidge affirmed. "I went with blue because it's a calming color."

Keith, whom was standing near her, leaned closer and whispered conspiratorially, "You'd think that as the Blue Paladin, the color would calm _him_ down."

She snickered as Lance proved that Keith hadn't been as quiet as he had intended. "Hey!" he protested. "Rude!" In retaliation he went over to Pidge and hip-checked her into Shiro whom barely stumbled yet placed a hand on her shoulder, steadying her.

"Guys," he chided. "Let's not get too rowdy. Pidge, Keith, apologize to Lance."

Pidge clapped a hand over her mouth, smothering her giggles. When she was certain her smile had mostly diminished and that her voice would sound appropriately sober, she spoke. "Sorry, Lance. You're just being supportive of us for this mission. Thank you."

Keith raked a hand through his unruly hair and also apologized. "I'm sorry too, Lance. I should be used to your enthusiasm and I'm not quite there yet. That's on me."

Lance shrugged. "It's not that big of a deal. I shouldn't tease Shiro and Pidge too much. And Pidge? Sorry for knocking into you just now."

Allowing her smile to widen slightly, Pidge replied, "Apology accepted."

Shiro grinned and pretended to wipe a tear from his eye. "That was the fastest I've ever seen you guys make up. You're all growing up. I'm so proud." At the sour looks from all three, he guffawed and simultaneously pulled them all into a group bear hug.

"Ergh," Keith groaned from where he was being squished between Pidge and Lance. "Where's Hunk? He should be dragged into this too."

"Right here!" Hunk chimed in as he joined in on the hug, grinning wider at the sounds of strained greetings from Keith, Pidge, and Lance. He gentled his embrace and said, "Sorry I'm late, I was just doing a last minute examination of the pod that's to take Shiro and Pidge into Alecca's capital city Humyris." He looked down at the team's resident tech expert. "Did you want to do a last minute check out of the pod yourself, Pidge? See if I missed anything?"

Pidge thought for a minute then nodded. "Yeah, it couldn't hurt to double check things. I mean don't get me wrong, Hunk, I totally trust you, but a fresh perspective never hurt anyone."

Somehow Shiro managed to nudge Pidge and smiled teasingly as he said, "keep that in mind for future reference when you're offered help, okay?"

She stuck her tongue out in return and began to extract herself from the Voltron hug. Once free, she offered Shiro a lazy salute and a noncommittal, "will do," before turning to head toward the hangar.

With her back turned, Pidge's expression went from nonchalant to a little forlorn as she walked away from her friends. They were getting closer to starting this mission and needless to say, she wasn't entirely certain if her heart could take it.

Yes, she could easily dish out the flirting and even though her face would disagree, Pidge could handle it when Shiro swung it back her way—to a point. She could take only so much when it all was part of a job. This whole relationship was fake, a sham and it made her heart ache fiercely and wish that she had enough fire within her to actually tell Shiro just how she felt.

She also wished that she didn't feel so deeply for one of her best friends.

It would make the inevitable heartbreak that much easier.

Apparently her lion was listening on her lamenting for Green softly chided within her mind, _"don't be so adamantly dismissive of the Black Paladin's feelings in regards to you, my cub."_ _  
_

Pidge huffed out a laugh as she reached the hangar. _"I can't exactly help it, Green. Emotions aren't the easiest thing to control. I can't simply turn on or off my crush or my fears of rejection. Believe me, I've tried."_

An image began to etch itself within her mind. The green lion, smaller than most, yet just as fierce and majestic as the others, if not more so, lay on her stomach, her paws resting just before her. Her golden eyes glowed softly with the keen intellect that was an attribute that she shared with her beloved Paladin. _"You are the Green Paladin, cub. The Paladin of Intellect and Daring. You have been most daring in regards to the Black Paladin of late. Why not dare a little more and prove to him that your feelings are real and not merely a game? I think you'll find that this is a rare moment where you are wrong."_

Pidge managed a full blown laugh at that, the sensation of laughter sending relief coursing throughout her small frame as muscles she hadn't realized that were tensed relaxed _. "Alright, Green. You're on."_  
Green's eyes glowed in satisfaction at her cub's acquiescence before fading back into a state of rest.

Pidge felt the bond between the two of them hush to a soft, constant hum, the ever-constant presence giving her peace of mind as it had done for years when it came to many situations. Her missing family members, the war…her huge and rather cumbersome crush on Shiro.

Upon sighting the pod, Pidge immediately threw herself into the inspection, grateful for something to do that involved science that wasn't chemistry. Numbers, data and cold hard facts were honestly what she needed more often than not to unwind and get away from the stresses of everything else that demanded an emotional response from her.

She was unaware of how much time passed or just how deep she was into her inspection. Not that it was an inspection anymore, the pod was just fine, and Hunk's tinkering was sound. However her mind wasn't on the mission, nor was it necessarily in the hangar. It crafted calculations, drafted designs, sought ways to improve on projects of the past and orchestrated creations more magnificent than any lauded scientist would dare to dream of.

Science was her song, machinery was her waltz while the very stars and the vast unknown filled with possibilities and potential was her heartbeat.

The serenity Pidge felt when throwing herself into her work was often contradicted by the electrifying thrill of discovery. Yet both were completely thrown off-kilter and she came crashing back into reality with all the sudden force of feeling the way screaming tires sound when one slams onto breaks. She gasped sharply and turned hard, ripping away from the gentle hand that had laid on her shoulder, eyes wild with alarm and dismay as if she were completely exposed and vulnerable.

Her heart beat faster, her face flushing as her brain finally settled down and caught up with the fact that the one who'd startled her was the one who did _indeed_ leave her feeling raw and vulnerable. His own eyes were wide with surprise before softening into charcoal warmth. "I'm sorry for startling you, Pidge," Shiro said with a voice that was low and almost velvety soft.

"I-it's okay," Pidge croaked as she fought to catch her breath, shifting to a stance that was less defensive. "I…I was just…just t-too deep in my head is all." She bit her lip hard as she tried to will the blush from her face. Coming back down to reality after being so deep in proverbial space was hard, exhausting, and it hurt. Perhaps Shiro knew this, for he stepped forward and swept her into a gentle hug.

"You're okay, Katie," he told her quietly. "You're safe." He rubbed her back as he silently counted out their heartbeats, Pidge's pulse still too quick for him not to worry. "I'm so sorry for scaring you, Katie."

Pidge leaned her head against Shiro's chest, breathing deeply, finding his scent comforting. It wasn't his fault she got so deep into science and its many branches. It was like her personal Yggdrasil. Okay, sure, science existed for far longer than she did, but sometimes it felt like it just belonged to her. Particularly when it came to machines. But honestly? She needed Shiro more than she realized. It felt like he was the only one who could ground her and bring her back into herself—though she could easily admit that Hunk came into a close second, even if he sometimes got lost like she did.

After a long moment, Pidge hugged Shiro back. "Actually, I should be thanking you," she told him quietly.

Shiro arched a brow at that. "For scaring the daylights out of you?"

Pidge snorted and it was a sound that had Shiro nearly sinking in relief at hearing. "No, for bringing me back into myself, back to reality." _Back to the war._ Sure, it was a bitter thought, but hey, they had a job to do and they couldn't get started if Pidge's mind wasn't even on the Castle. She leaned back to look Shiro in this eye. "I take it we're ready to head to Humyris?"

"I'm ready if you're ready and if you think the pod's set," Shiro replied. They both knew it was a chance for Pidge to take a time out and compose herself if need be.

She shook her head. "Nope, everything's in top shape. Hunk did great. We'll be at the inn in less than a varga."

"Great!" Shiro grinned. "Should we get going then?"

"Yep," Pidge replied before turning to head toward the pod.

Shiro then just remembered something Allura had given him earlier, a mischievous twinkle in her eye despite the kindness playing about her lips. "Ooh, hang on a tick, Katie, I've got something for you," he blushed slightly. "For the uh, mission, that is."

Pidge spun back to him. "Yeah?"

He hesitated for a few ticks before reaching into his pocket, but keeping whatever he had pulled out of it fisted in his hand. He gently took Pidge's hand in his and dropped a small item into her palm, folding her fingers over it. His hand lingered on hers for a moment, idly noting its warmth and the scars that decorated it. His blush deepened as he pulled away, coughing slightly. "Allura said we needed them and I guess she's right."

Pidge raised an eyebrow at that before opening her hand and doing her best not to emit a gasp. A ring lay in the center of her palm, a silver band with small violet and deep green stones surrounding it. "It's beautiful," she said quietly. She looked up at him with an old sadness in her eyes. "Did Allura happen to mention if this ring belonged to…?"

Shiro shook his head. "No, this was just something she had lying around in her jewelry box." He held up his flesh hand which already had the ring gracing his fourth finger. "This one she adjusted to make it just a little different." Indeed the ring band was thicker and the stones were a square cut compared to Pidge's ring which had stones cut in what people from Earth would describe as an emerald cut. Idly she wondered what the Alteans would have called it.

Slipping the ring on her finger, Pidge held it out before her, noting its perfect fit and tried to ignore the burning warmth she felt pooling in her stomach. Stars only knew what would've happened had Shiro had put it on her. "I'll have to thank her later."

"I thanked her on the behalf of both of us," Shiro replied. "But I'm sure she'd appreciate hearing gratitude coming directly from you." He wrapped an arm around her shoulders and started guiding her toward the pod. "C'mon, Mrs. Takashi Shirogane. Time for us to start this crazy mission."

Pidge laughed, "Okay, Mr. Katie Holt. Let's do this." She glanced down at her ring, wrinkling her nose as she realized something. "Ugh, Lance was right. We are matchy-matchy."

"You're the only person I'd be such a thing with," Shiro answered without much embarrassment.

Pidge stuck her tongue out at that. "Oof, I'm married to a sap."

"And don't you forget it," he told her mock seriously.

"Yes, dear."

* * *

I LIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIVE! Mushu, ya gotta love him. Oof, sorry for being so long my wonderful readers. Life got in the way big time and I'm honestly not sure when the next chapter will be. Hopefully before December, but that's all I can say on a timeline. This chapter is a bit of an emotional rollercoaster for Pidge. I dunno, I might go back and heavily revise this chapter in the future. But for now, I'm satisfied and I hope all you awesome people are too.


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